Solvent emulsion cleaner



Patented Apr. 17, 1945 SOLVENT EMULSION CLEANER.

Charles S. Lowe, Upper Darby, Pa., assi'gnor to The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Application November 19, 1943,

- Serial No. 510,975

6 Claims.

This invention -relates to a concentrate type solvent emulsion cleaner.

An object of the invention is 'to provide a sol vent emulsion cleaner composition which may be diluted with a hydrocarbon, a chlorinated hydrocarbon, or equivalent solvent, following which it may be applied directly to a soiled article, from which it can be removed with water, thereby cleaning said article.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a study of this specification and the claims.

My invention -is predicated upon the selection of the ingredients and upon the manner and proportions in which these are compounded.

A solvent emulsion cleaner prepared according to t e invention will contain the following ingredients in the recited proportions by weight:

Refined talloel 46.2 Triethanolamine e 8.8 Potash, 50% (49.2 B.) 23.5 Ethylene glycol mono butyl ether 14.2 Pine oil (specific gravity 15.5/15.5 C.. 0.9398) 7.3

Total 100.0

The composition of the invention is prepared by adding the refined talloel .to the triethanolamine, preferably through a spray, and the resulting amine soap is thoroughly mixed for at lesat 5 minutes or until the reaction is complete. The pine oil and the ethylene glycol monobutyl ether are then introduced by slow pouring or spraying during continued stirring. The potash solution is then added by spraying and mixing is continued for twenty to' thirty minutes or until the heat liberated by' the reaction has been dissipated. The heat liberated is generated through reaction of the potash with the talloel uncombined with the triethanolamine and by the displacement v, of triethanolamine from. the soap formed, leaving all the triethanolamine in free form and a potash soap of talloel.

The composition thus prepared is a-liquid, and

before application to the article to be cleaned,

it is preferably, diluted with a hydrocarbon, a

chlorinated hydrocarbon, or equivalent solvent, such as kerosene or achlorinated benzene.

The quantity of kerosene employed to dilute the composition can be varied and up to.one part solvent emulsion to fifteen parts kerosene has shown no evidence of settling on standing for over forty-eight hours. One part of solvent emulsion to twenty parts kerosene will show a slight haze and will give a slight amount of settling on standing, but this is in no way detrimental to its cleaning efliciency. The stability of the diluted solvent emulsion is characteristic of my invention, no other solvent emulsion cleaner being known which can be diluted fifteen to twenty times with kerosene without undergoing rapid settling of the active ingredients.

As stated, instead of a simple hydrocarbon, such as kerosene, a chlorinated hydrocarbon may be employed, for example, ortho-dichlorobenzene.

The selection of the ingredients and the proportions employed in the composition of a solvent. emulsion cleaner, according to the invention, is

important and the presence of each ingredientin the proper proportions is critical to the obtaining of desired results.

It is possible, however, to employ, in place of the caustic potash, equivalents such as caustic soda, sod-a ash, ammonia and the like and to obtain a desirable result. Obviously, varying proportions of combinations of these ingredients may be employed as long as the total alkalinity is equivalent to that herein'stated. Caustic potash seems, however, to be preferable. The presence of .free caustic potash in the final composition plays an important part in the cleaning eifect produced, saponifying reactive oils andgreases to render these water soluble. The quantity of potash employed is such that there is more than enough to react with all of the talloel so that there is actually present free potash.

The presence of free amine in the final composition also plays an important part in the stability of the emulsion and the cleaning effect produced therewith. In place of triethanolamine, there may be employed amylamines, ethylene diamine, monoethylamine, diethylamine, morpholine, amines formed from nitroparamns, butylamine, di-2-ethylhexylamine, tetraethylenepentamine, propylenediamine, and diethylethanolamine. The presence of both the amine and the potash or equivalent alkali, in the composition is necessary. In other words, although the amine is alkaline in character and capable of forming soap Talloel employed in the composition of this invention is a saponiilable by-product from kraft pulp manufacture and is rich in both rosin acids and fatty acids of complex character. As an example, a suitable talloel will have the following characteristics:

Acid number 170-180 saponiflcation number 170-185 Rosin acids as abietic "per cent 34-38 Fatty acids do 50-60 Sterols, higher alcohols, etc do 6-10 A talloel of substantially the characteristics given will yield a final composition which can be diluted up to one part of solvent emulsion to parts kerosene without settling over a 48-hour period and while some variation from the values given is possible, it is preferred to remain within the ranges stated. In place of some or all of the tafloel there may be employed castor oil, cottonseed oil, linseed oil, palm oil or even suli'onated oils and in such cases of substitution it may be necessary to vary somewhat the quantity of the particular oil employed in place of the talloel.

The pine oil in the presence of the other ingredients of the composition of the invention seems to promote the extendibility of the solvent ing and stability, it is possible to substitute for some or all of the pine oil phenolic type compounds such as cresylic acids, phenol, ortho, meta, and para cresols, hydrogenated phenol, and alcohols, such as methanol and isopropanol.

The ethylene glycol mono butyl ether acts as an emulsion stabilizing ingredient and while essential to the composition, it may be partly or totally replaced by equivalents such as diethylene glycol mono butyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether or diethylene glycol mono methyl ether.

If pine oil, or its equivalent, is omitted from the composition, it is not possible to obtain the high hydrocarbon dilutions, referred to herein without settling of soap from the emulsion and 'if the ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, or its equivalent, is omitted, there is little or no emulsitlcation of hydrocarbon solvent in water.

The methods of application of solvent emulsion cleaners are known. The preferred method of application, according to the invention, is that wherein the soiled article is dipped, sprayed, or. otherwise contacted with the product, before or in the place of water, thus obtaining both the efiect of the alkali reaction and the dissolving reaction of the grease solvent. In general, the more concentrated the water emulsion, the better the cleaning will be and the preferred range is one part of kerosene diluted composition, in twenty-flve parts to one hundred parts of water or after dilution with kerosene, but before forming the water emulsion. For example, the composition. after a suitable quantity of kerosene has been admixed, is applied to the soiled article, and, after remaining in contact therewith for from one to five minutes, the article is washed with water by rinsing 0r hosing or the like. In general, pressure hosing is preferred. The surface to be cleaned should preferably be dry so that a water emulsion is not formed when the liquid cleaning composition is first applied. It is within the scope of the invention to rinse with a dilute alkaline solution, in the place of water.

Another known method of employing the composition of this invention is that wherein the emulsion in water is first formed before contacting the work or article to be cleaned. Thework may then be soaked or the emulsion may be made up in a power washer and sprayed over the work. In such operation, temperatures up to 160 F. have been satisfactorily employed. The emulalone may be made up in dilute alkaline solutions.

clea'ning of heavily soiled laundry. Generally, 9.

cleaner prepared according to this inventionwill be found applicable to the removal of heavily and deeply imbedded soil from almost any type of material or article.

The proportions indicated in the formula first given are now thought to be those which yield the best results, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that compositions prepared according to a somewhat different formula will possess the advantages of the invention, the invention comprising not only the relative quantities of ingredients employed in preparing the composition but also the combination of the specific ingredients. A composition employing ingredient proportions within the following ranges will yield satisfactory results:

' Parts by weight Refined talloel 40 -60 Triethanolamine 7.6-11.4 Potash, 50% (49.2 B.) Ethylene glycol mono butyl ether 12 -18 Pine oil (specific gravity 15.5/155" C. 0.9398) I claim: 1. Asolvent emulsion cleaner composition comprising a mixture in parts by weight of to 60 of talloel; 7.6 to 11.4 oftriethanolamine; 20 to 30 of potash solution; 12 to 18 of ethylene glycol mono butyl ether; 6.4 to 9.6 of pine oil, the parts by weight of potash being so selected that it will be present in excess after reacting with all of from one part to twenty parts by weight of a chlorinated benzene.

4. A solvent emulsion cleaning solution comprising the composition of claim 1 diluted with from one part to twenty parts by weight of ortho dichlorobenzene.

5. A solvent emulsion cleaning solution comprising the composition of claim 1 diluted with from one part to twenty parts by weight of ke acne and with from twenty-five parts to one h dre'd parts by weight of water.

6'. A solvent emulsion cleaner composition coin prising a mixture in parts by weight of refined talloel 46.2 parts; triethanolamine 8.8 parts; potash, 50% (49.2 B.) 23.5 parts; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 14.2; and pine oil (specific gravity 15.5/15.5 C. 0.9398) 7.3 parts.

CHARLES S. LOWE. 

